


The Love Boat

by icanhearyouglaring



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, Drama, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fake Marriage, Rivals to Lovers, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-02-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:47:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22606492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icanhearyouglaring/pseuds/icanhearyouglaring
Summary: Artemis prides herself on being a professional. She is punctual, detailed, and motivated. She is both a solid solo artist and a dedicated team player. She is whatever she needs to be in any given moment. And in this given moment, what she needs to be is what she is: a professional. It’s too bad her partner doesn’t get the memo. Spies on a Mission AU.
Relationships: Artemis Crock/Wally West, Clone Roy Harper | Will Harper/Jade Nguyen
Comments: 9
Kudos: 72





	The Love Boat

**000**

It doesn’t take Artemis long to realize that her next assignment is big with a capital ‘B’. The 3AM wake-up call that comes directly from the Commanders is a pretty solid hint that they’ve got something special planned for her– and for good reason.

“Artemis!” A voice echoes down the otherwise empty hall. “You little minx!”

She doesn’t break her stride at the sound of her name echoing down the hall. She _does_ listen closely for the follow up, and she’s rewarded with the rapid rhythm of stilettos tapping against the tiled floor.

“Not so little, Zee,” Artemis says flatly, when Zatanna finally catches up to her. “I’ve got a solid three inches on you.”

“Not in these babies,” Zatanna replies, matching Artemis’s stride step-for-step while making a show of clicking her high heels against the floor. “But I’ll rephrase: Artemis! You tall, sexy, beautiful, magnificent minx! Better?”

Artemis smiles and shrugs. “I’ll allow it. Those new shoes?”

Zatanna nods cheerfully. “Yup. Italian. You like?”

“I like.” Artemis affirms, nodding.

“They’re yours. I’ll get you a pair,” Zatanna says quickly, already pulling out her phone, presumably to order another pair of shoes.

“Stop it. They won’t fit me,” Artemis snickers softly as she swats at Zatanna’s hand. “Put that away.”

“Fine,” Zatanna relents, stuffing her phone back into her jacket pocket. “Act surprised on your birthday.”

“I’ll give it my best try,” Artemis mock-promises, crossing an ‘x’ over her heart with her finger.

Zatanna snorts before nudging Artemis with her elbow and asking, “So, where are you speed walking to?”

Artemis speaks slowly, feigning nonchalance, “I have a new assignment. The Commanders are going to brief me.”

“ _Ooh_ ,” Zatanna says, instantly leaning closer to Artemis and whispering, “mission specs from _above_? Do you know what this means?”

“That I need to walk faster?”

Zatanna scoffs. “ _No–_ well, _yes–_ but also, they want you! You made an impression and they want to move you up!”

Artemis shakes her head. “Hey, don’t get ahead of yourself there. When they called, they didn’t say anything like _that–_ ”

Zatanna grabs Artemis’s arm, stops her in the hall, and looks her dead in the eye when she whispers, “They didn’t say anything like that to me, either.”

 _But that was different_ , Artemis wants to say, but she holds her tongue. There’s no need to remind Zatanna that the circumstances of _her_ field promotion were shrouded in grief and pain and necessity.

Artemis holds Zatanna’s gaze for a solid moment before whispering back, “Do you really think they’re going to promote me?”

Zatanna nods seriously, pulling Artemis down the hall towards the crystal elevator. “It’s _way_ overdue, girl. I might not get a vote yet, but my sources say that those who _do_ were _impressed._ ”

“Your sources,” Artemis breathes out.

They stop in front of the elevator.

Artemis bites at the inside of her cheek before she looks at Zatanna. “I’d better get in there, huh?”

“Yes, you better,” Zatanna says, lightly pushing Artemis forward. “Get going, and tell me how it goes, _you know_ , when you’re allowed!”

“Sure,” Artemis says, just as a scanner opens just above the elevator doors.

Riding the high of the success of the Manta Op for weeks had been _nice_ , but maybe, just maybe, today will bring something even _better_. The thought brings a smile to Artemis’s face as she stares at the tall, crystal elevator doors that lead to the Watchtower up above. She exhales softly as she waits for the biometric scanner to do its job.

_“Artemis. B-0-7. Watchtower Access: Granted.”_

Artemis enters the elevator, waves a quick goodbye to Zatanna, and presses the button for Command Level Alpha. And then she waits. ( _Was the elevator always this slow?)_

She has been to the Watchtower exactly two times. Once, when all recruits visit the Watchtower after graduating from the Academy. Many don’t get the opportunity to see it again. Her second visit came only a few weeks ago, upon her return from the Manta Op. Both times, she’d promised herself there’d be a day when this place became _hers_.

 _Today’s the day_ , Artemis tells herself, after the elevator stops and the doors open to a wide white room. She takes her first step out and smirks. _It has to be._

**000**

_Today might not be the day_ , Artemis thinks, staring down at the marble floor in front of her and the grey scuff mark she just noticed at the tip of her black boot. Her fingers fiddle with a button on her leather jacket, until she can’t stand the clicking noise it makes and crosses her arms.

After fifteen and a half minutes of waiting for the Commanders to call her inside the conference room, it doesn’t look like they’re in any rush to promote her. Before she can start tumbling down that train of thought, the frosted glass door to the conference room opens and Clark Kent waves a hand at her. Artemis pushes off the wall and stands up straight to greet him.

He’s a tank of a man, all broad shoulders and muscle, but it’s his kind eyes and gentle nature that makes him such a beloved figurehead. Of all of the Commanders, Clark is the most approachable, the most human, and brings the best desserts to meetings.

Artemis clears her throat. “Sir.”

“We’re ready for you, Artemis,” he says, smiling as he holds the door open. “Come on in.”

Artemis steps into the room with practiced humility. “Thank you, sir.”

Clark chuckles as he closes the door behind her.

“I’m never going to get used to being called sir,” he whispers, just loud enough for her to hear.

 _That_ gives her a bit more confidence as she takes in all of the eyes set on her. She stands tall and greets the room.

“Commanders,” she says, nodding to the four people sitting on one half of the table. Her eyes keep moving right and she smiles as she sets her eyes on her former mission partner. “Kaldur.”

Kaldur, poised and well-postured as ever, sends her a small smile. “Artemis.”

“And–” Artemis looks to the last remaining person in the room, sitting just beyond Kaldur, and graciously refrains from frowning as she clips “– _Wallace._ ”

The shred of hope she’d held between both hands as she waited to be called into the conference room splits into two at the sight of his mop of red hair and sharp green eyes. If _he_ is here, there was no way she is getting promoted today. The alternative is that _he_ is also getting promoted, and there is absolutely no way, no how, no _goddamn_ freakin’ _way_ he’s caught up to her since _Bialya_.

Wally lazily waves his hand as he leans forward and greets her from his seat. She doesn’t miss the question in his eyes, but she does ignore it.

“Artemis. It’s been awhile.”

“It has,” Artemis says, taking the open seat on Kaldur’s other side while simultaneously keeping her face as neutral as possible, even as _‘why the fuck is he here’_ repeats itself in her mind. It takes more effort than she’d admit to keep her eyes forward towards the Commanders instead of glaring _through_ Kaldur.

The Commanders wait for Clark to settle in his seat before they nod to each other.

Clark speaks first, his eyes trained on Artemis. “First, Artemis, we’d like to commend you for your performance on the Manta Enterprises mission. You walked out just as seamlessly as you walked in, and with the data we needed to put an end to their pirating operation.”

Bruce Wayne nods before he speaks. “We called you in today because that kind of performance is exactly what we need on this next mission. Kaldur will explain the details after this meeting, but at its simplest, this mission is an at-sea undercover operation, requiring high level, precision infiltration into criminal circles.”

“You’ll be happy to know that unlike the Manta mission, this will only take two weeks of your time,” Diana Prince notes, before turning serious. “That being said, the shorter time frame means you will need to act quickly to secure your position in the group. Are you up for the challenge?”

“Always,” Artemis says, without hesitation.

Diana smiles, in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it fashion, before asking Wally the same question. “And you?”

Wally nods, quickly glancing at Artemis before meeting Diana’s eyes and responding, “Never met a challenge I didn’t like.”

_Oh, you little–_

Artemis’s mental alarm bell rings louder than her scathing thoughts when Diana moves on without asking Kaldur the same question.

“Then it’s settled,” Shiera Hall says, sliding two digital tablets across the table, one to Wally and the other to Artemis. “After briefing, the two of you will set off on your mission tonight.”

 _The two of us,_ Artemis thinks, leaning slightly forward in her seat to glance at Wally, who seems to have just been alerted to the same fact she has. Artemis pulls the tablet to her chest, careful to hide how hard her fingers press into the tech. _The TWO of us?_

“Mission accepted?” Bruce asks, standing. The rest of the Commanders follow suit.

Kaldur, Artemis, and Wally stand, too, and each one responds, “Mission accepted.”

Today was _so_ not the day.

**000**

It takes less than a minute after the door to the conference room shuts for the _begging_ to begin.

They’re halfway to a breakout room when Artemis speeds up her gait and tries to fall in step beside Kaldur. Wally does the same, and suddenly they’re all in a line, taking up the entirety of the hall.

“Kal–” Wally and Artemis start at the same time before they pause to glower at each other.

Kaldur stops in front of a plain frosted door, opens it, and walks in without acknowledging either of them.

“Kaldur,” Artemis says, quickly slipping into the room behind Kaldur before Wally can beat her to it, “please tell me you’re coming with us.”

Wally shuts the door behind him before crossing his arms. “This is _not_ what we discussed, dude.”

“Plans have changed,” Kaldur says after a beat. He looks from Artemis, to Wally, and finally to the round table in front of them. “Sit.”

Kaldur’s firm tone sends them into their seats without further argument. They’ll save that for _later_.

Artemis activates her tablet, silently donning her mask of professionalism before she looks up and nods for Kaldur to continue. Kaldur taps at his tablet, and a holographic computer screen appears on the wall behind him.

He clears his throat before launching straight into what Artemis so lovingly calls: _mission-mode_.

“I will run the mission from the Watchtower. You two will be the agents on the ground.”

Kaldur taps against his tablet and files appear on the holo-screen on the wall. 

“More accurately, you two will be the agents on the ship. This ship,” Kaldur continues, enlarging a photo of a cruise liner on the wall. “The _Lumina_ sets sail from Miami in 35 hours.”

“Fancy,” Wally says, swiping through pictures of the boat on his tablet.

“This will be the ship’s maiden voyage,” Kaldur notes, before adding a list of names to the wall screen.

“As of now, the manifest states there will be approximately 954 passengers on board and 587 crew members. We have received intel that over a _third_ of the prospective passengers are connected to criminal activity, including arms dealing, human trafficking, drug smuggling, and more. Obviously, this is no coincidence.”

“You’re telling me,” Wally says, swiping through the manifest on his tablet. “Who the hell is promoting this thing? Evil.org?”

Artemis smothers her laugh as she skims through the _many_ flagged fake names on her tablet. _This ought to be fun._

Kaldur almost smiles. “We have confirmation that the cruise line is a subsidiary of LexCorp.”

Wally scoffs and leans back in his chair. “So I was right.”

“The cruise is a front for a gathering of some of the most dangerous and well-connected people on the planet,” Kaldur says, before he sends an image to each of their tablets. “This is their chosen cover.”

In bold script, and bolder colors, reads: 

**~❤** _~LuxLines Honeymoon Adventures: A Cruise for Lovers~_ **❤~**

“A _honeymoon_ cruise?” Artemis says, wincing at the gaudy advertisement on her tablet. “ _That’s_ their cover?”

Kaldur nods. “Yes. It is an odd choice, until you realize international waters might be the only place they feel comfortable enough to convene en masse.”

“So the bad guys go on a group vacation and, what, Artemis and I pull housekeeping duty?” Wally says, laying his tablet flat on the table as he sends Kaldur a look of suspicion. “Because if so, the Commanders made a _pret-ty_ big deal about a bug and run.”

Kaldur smiles before training his expression to be more neutral. Neither Artemis nor Wally miss it; and both feel a swell of muted panic rise in their chests.

“For a mission of this magnitude to succeed, we need more than just the incriminating statements or smoking gun a ‘ _bug and run’_ would uncover,” Kaldur explains.

“Due to the overwhelming number of potential marks, and amount of civilians who stand to get caught in the crossfire, the Commanders have chosen to focus our attention on those who stand to benefit the most from such a _robust_ guest list.” Kaldur pulls two photos up on the wall and on Artemis and Wally’s tablets.

Kaldur gestures to the brutish man in one of the pictures.

“Bruno Mannheim, heir to the Mannheim crime family and its ties to Intergang, has just married”– Kaldur gestures towards the cloaked woman in the second photo– “Whisper A’Daire, a socialite who holds a large amount of influence of her own in the arms dealing business.”

“Oof,” Wally says, wincing at the wedding photograph that appears on their screens, “she’s way out of his league.”

“But right up his alley,” Artemis notes, the tightness in her chest loosening as she looks at Kaldur. “Talk about merging assets.”

“An understatement,” Kaldur nods. “It’s a dangerous match for a host of reasons, and the fact they are spending their honeymoon on a ship filled with current and potential buyers and sellers makes them our top priority on this mission.”

Kaldur continues, “The Commanders want to know what their plans are, who they’re talking to, and whether we should initiate a full-scale sting on the ship _before_ it leaves international waters.”

“Definitely more involved than a bug-and-run,” Wally notes.

“Indeed. Your role in the mission is this: infiltrate the cruise, posing as a newly married couple. Your identities and corresponding backstories are waiting for you in your hotel room in Miami. Your penthouse suite on the ship is directly adjacent to the Mannheims. We have arranged to get the gear you will need to surveil them in your room before you board. You will listen to their conversations, document any illegal transactions or plans, and gain their trust.”

Artemis knows her ears are perfectly fine, but she lost him for a split second after _married couple_. Her eyes flit over to Wally, who sinks lower into his seat. _Ah_ , Artemis thinks, _I’m not losing it. He heard that, too_.

Kaldur presses on, ignoring their muted reactions. “Your cover story includes an interest in getting involved in their criminal enterprise, both as investors and contributors. You will befriend them, learn from them, and make them feel as though you are trustworthy enough to join them. You have a week and a half to gather as much intel as possible before we decide whether to pull you out or allow the ship to dock in Los Angeles.”

Kaldur pauses before leveling them with a hard stare. “I understand you two have a _history._ ”

Wally coughs under his breath and Artemis straightens in her seat and neither of them dare to look at each other.

 _“_ Under _no circumstances_ should either of you let that compromise the mission. Do not cause a scene on the ship. Do not draw unwanted attention towards yourselves. Do not _Absolutely no fighting_.”

“No fighting,” Artemis says with a nod.

“No fighting,” Wally repeats, holding out his pinky finger towards Kaldur. “Pinky promise.”

“I mean it,” Kaldur warns, rolling his eyes at Wally’s outstretched hand. “Should your cover be blown, we will extract you _immediately_. This mission will be considered a failure. There is no room for unprofessional behavior from either of you.”

Wally retracts his hand and nods before he clips, “Understood.”

“We’ll be good, Kaldur,” Artemis says quickly, reacting to the clear implication of Kaldur’s words: _Be civil, or you can kiss that promotion goodbye._ For good measure, she tacks on a smooth, “It’s in the past.”

The look Kaldur gives her is all she needs to see in order to know he knows that’s a complete _lie._ Still, he doesn’t press it further. Instead, he asks for them to leave their tablets and meet in the hangar in two hours. Wally doesn’t waste time, following Kaldur’s orders and making a beeline out of the room before Artemis can even power-down her tablet.

As soon as the door shuts behind Wally, Artemis hands Kaldur her tablet, but refuses to release it when he grabs it.

Her gaze sharpens before she asks, “Why aren’t you going? Why isn’t this you and me? After the Manta Op– I thought– well, you’d think the Commanders would recognize a good team when they see one.”

Kaldur lightly pulls the tablet out of her grasp before answering. “Unfortunately, many of criminals on the guest list are figures I have personally encountered during past missions. I’d be too recognizable. It has to be you two. You fit the profile Oracle has determined we need to make this work.”

“So, in other words, take it up with Barbara,” Artemis sighs, before shaking her head. “Kaldur, there has to be someone else. _Anyone_ else. You can’t do it, but what about Zatanna? Or Mal? At this point, I’d even take Jim.”

“ _Jim?_ ” Kaldur raises a brow at her. “Jim’s too old.”

“That’s ageist.”

“Jim’s too old _for you_.”

“Maybe I like older guys.”

Kaldur rolls his eyes. “Maybe you should look at the bigger picture. The Commanders specifically asked for the two of you, not only because of Oracle’s recommendation, but because you’ve impressed them with your work. Do the mission right, deliver the intel, and they’ll likely promote you to the League.”

Artemis swallows. “Do you know that for sure?”

Kaldur glances at the tablet in his hands before he shrugs. “I know enough to advise you to get this mission done with haste and _without_ an international incident.”

“As always,” Artemis huffs.

Kaldur narrows his eyes at her, but she doesn’t miss the hint of mirth in his expression as he says, “If you’re finished, you can meet Wally and your pilot in the hangar in two hours as I instructed. Your flight to Miami should give you both enough time to come to terms with the fact that you have to breathe the same air for the next two weeks.”

Artemis translates his snark into three simple words: _Get it together_.

“Message received, Boss,” Artemis says, taking her leave. “Talk to you later, I guess.”

“Artemis,” Kaldur calls, just as she steps through the doorway, “give him a chance. He might surprise you.”

Artemis waits until the door is firmly shut behind her and she’s halfway down the hall before she groans lowly.

_That’s what I’m afraid of._

**Author's Note:**

> Up Next: Chapter 2: The Con! (which is far too slow burn mind numbingly romantic to NOT post on this upcoming Valentines Day! see you then!)


End file.
